Donald Trump is unfit to be President. He did not receive the popular vote, but under our system, he won an Electoral College majority, and that’s the whole political “ball of wax.” Donald, meanwhile, rants on about 3 million illegals keeping him from winning the popular vote. He tweets about unconstitutionally revoking citizenship for people who burn the American flag (Savage, NY Times, 11/29/16). His recent interview with the NY Times is one stream of consciousness word salad that makes Sarah Palin look like a fabulous orator. However, we must keep our eyes on the real issues—his Cabinet appointments and all the major damage they do.

There are three key “qualities” Demagogue Donald’s Cabinet and staff appointees have in common.

1. They are among the “least experienced in recent U.S. history (Huffington Post, Kos, Hunter, 11/28/16).” Look at Steve “white supremacist” Bannon, Trump’s key White House counsel. All he did was head the “alt-right” scandal-mongering Breitbart News before joining Trump’s campaign. Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner, now being considered as another White House adviser and Middle East “negotiator,” ran his family’s real estate business. Former neurosurgeon Ben Carson gets Donald’s nod to head Housing and Urban Development. Carson has no expertise in this area and no prior interest in this field.

2. Donald’s appointees are larded up with out-of-touch millionaires/billionaires. Trump’s whole Cabinet and administration could be worth as much as $35 billion, a staggering amount of wealth, unprecedented in U.S. history. In this group is Education Secretary designate Betsy DeVos with a family net worth of $5.1 billion. Trump’s Treasury Secretary pick, hedge fund manager Steven Mnuchin, made billions by investing in the IndyMac Bank, which foreclosed on thousands of homeowners after the 2008 financial crisis (Walsh, Huffington Post, 11/29/16). Trump’s Commerce Secretary nominee, billionaire Wilbur Ross, made a career of taking bankrupt corporations and selling them to other companies. He also owned a West Va. coal mine, Sago, involved in an accident that took 12 lives and had 96 safety violations (CNN Egan & Murray, 11/29/16).

3. Even worse, Trump’s Cabinet picks are opponents of the very duties represented by the departments they are being asked to head. Ala. GOP Sen. Jefferson Sessions has been selected by Donald to run the Justice Department, which handles enforcing civil rights and voting rights issues. Sessions’ whole career consists of strongly opposing civil rights and voting rights. Education Secretary nominee Betsy DeVos has spent over 30 years trying to gut public education with poorly run charter schools. She is also one big fan of vouchers, allowing parents of children to spend tax payer money on private and parochial schools. And meet GOP Congressman Tom Price. Trump picked Price, a dedicated foe of Obamacare, Medicare, and Planned Parenthood to head the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), which has jurisdiction over all these matters (LA Times, Levey, 11/28/16, CNN Lubhy, 11/29/2016).

Congressman Tom Price (62), just re-elected to a seventh term, represents Georgia’s 6th Congressional District (CD). The reconfigured Peach State 6th lies in Atlanta’s northern suburbs. The Ga. 6th contains chunks of DeKalb, Cobb, and Fulton Counties. It contains the cities of Roswell, Alpharetta, and part of Sandy Springs (CQ Barone & 14 Political Almanacs). Hispanic and Asian communities have experienced large growth. However, this CD remains predominantly white and safe “Red” GOP. It has a Cook Partisan Voting Index (PVI) of R+14 (CQ & Barone 14).

Price grew up in Michigan and graduated from the University of Michigan and its medical school. His father and grandfather were doctors, his wife an anesthesiologist. After completing his orthopedic surgery residency at Atlanta’s Emory Medical School, Price moved to Roswell. Frustrated with government, Price became involved in civic affairs. He worked closely with the Ga. Medical Association and campaigned in the 1990’s against Pres. Bill Clinton’s health care plan which then First Lady Hillary had helped craft. Price became active in GOP politics as a fundraiser and organizer. In 1996, he won election to the Ga. State Senate. He served there from 1997-2005, becoming its majority leader in 2003. In 2004, Price ran and won the GOP primary for the open 6th CD seat, when GOP Congressman Johnny Isakson successfully ran for the Senate. In this lopsided “Red” district, Price ran unopposed in the general election. He has been handily re-elected. In 2016, he clobbered his Democratic opponent by a 24% margin (CQ & Barone 14, CQ Roll Call 115th Congress Early Guide).

The Washington Post dubbed Congressman Price, “a Republican guerilla warrior.” Price has been compared to former GOP Speaker Newt Gingrich and represents much of Gingrich’s suburban Atlanta district. Like Gingrich, he has made a name for himself with his repeated challenges to Democrats and is a confrontational GOP ideologue (CQ & Barone 14). He is a favorite TV talk show guest. Price was among one of the anti-government Tea Party Caucus’ original members. In 2011, he tied for most-conservative House member in the National Journal’s 2011 vote rankings (Barone & CQ 14). In the 111th Congress (2009-2010), Price chaired the Republican Study Committee (RSC). The 170-member RSC constitutes the most conservative bloc and dominant force within the House GOP caucus (CQ 14, National Journal). Price has attacked what he has termed a “vile liberal agenda that is threatening everything we hold dear as Americans (Kos, Clawson, 11/29/16).”

Price is “the HHS (Health and Human Services) Secretary you’d pick if you were dead serious about dismantling the law, Obamacare (Kliff, vox.com, 11/28/16).” And Donald, obviously, is. A constant in Price’s career has been his extreme hostility to government interference with the practice of medicine. Price was one of Washington’s most vocal and persistent critics of the Affordable Care Act, (ACA). The ACA or Obamacare, signed into law in 2010, has helped more than 20 million people get health insurance and made coverage available to people with pre-existing conditions. However, heaven forbid, it has raised taxes on the very wealthy. For years, GOPers have promised to both “repeal and replace” Obamacare, but mainly as campaign slogans. In Price, however, Trump will be enlisting one of the few Republicans who have actually seriously thought of how to “replace” Obamacare by writing up a detailed piece of legislation (Huffington Post, Cohn, 11/29/16).

Price’s cooked up legislation, “Empowering Patients First Act (another phony GOP euphemism),” would gut Obamacare’s regulation of insurance plans, reduce the total financial assistance going to people buying private coverage, and entirely rescind that law’s expansion of Medicaid for the poorest Americans. Under Price’s legislation, insurers could resume some of the practices Obamacare now prohibits, like selling bare-bones plans, and in some cases, denying coverage to people with pre-existing conditions . Price’s proposal would offer people tax credits, but there’d be no guarantee the credits would pay for comprehensive coverage. According to one analysis, there would be less government spending and regulation and lower taxes on the rich. Younger and healthier people would get access to cheaper insurance, but the insurance would consist of minimal coverage or gaps in benefits. Translation: young people who get cancer or become involved in serious auto accidents would be up the proverbial creek. Price’s scheme would mean fewer people covered, and almost certainly, less financial protection for people with the worst medical conditions. According to Edwin Park, VP for health policy at the Center on Budget and Policy priorities, “It would likely leave many of the 20 million people losing coverage they now receive under the Affordable Care Act without health insurance and going without needed care (Cohn, Huffington Post. 11/29/16).”

Price was a key architect in getting the GOP House and GOP Senate to pass the repeal of Obamacare via the budget reconciliation process. Reconciliation allows certain bills involving fiscal matters to pass without being subject to a Senate filibuster. Both GOP congressional chambers passed this repeal Obamacare bill via reconciliation early in 2016, but Obama vetoed it. A President Trump, however, would sign this repeal. Many GOPers are again pushing Price’s tactic to repeal Obamacare via reconciliation (Huffington Post, 11/29/16).

And repealing Obamacare is just the start. Price wants to use reconciliation to change, read, gut Medicare as well, something GOP House Speaker Paul Ryan has always wanted to do. During the campaign, Donald indicated he would not cut either Medicare or Medicaid. Now, language on his transition website speaks of “modernizing” Medicare and giving states more “flexibility” over Medicaid, D.C. political euphemisms for privatizing Medicare and transforming Medicaid into block grants. With block grants, states get a fixed sum of money to run this program as they “please,” not an encouraging prospect in many “Red” states (See Cohn, Huffington Post, 11/29/16). Many voters have, once again, been deceived by “Don the Con.” Price, like Ryan, wants to end Medicare and Medicaid as we know it.

Price has a 100% rating from the anti-abortion National Right to Life Group, but a zero one from Planned Parenthood. In Congress, Price supported legislation barring federal funds for Planned Parenthood since some of its clinics had been involved in performing “barbaric” abortion practices (NY Times, Pear, 11/28/16). Should Price have his way at HHS, women would not be getting mammograms and Pap Smears from Planned Parenthood centers, even after these procedures have been removed from bare-bones GOP plans (seevotesmarts.org., the hill.com). Planned Parenthood president Cecile Richards stated that as Health Secretary, Price “could take women back decades (Pear, NY Times, 11/28/16).”

Senate Democratic Minority Leader, NY’s. Chuck Schumer, aptly stated, “Congressman Price has proven to be far out of the mainstream of what Americans want when it comes to Medicare, the Affordable Care Act, and Planned Parenthood. Nominating Congressman Price to be the HHS Secretary is akin to asking the fox to guard the hen house (Huffington Post, Cohn, 11/29/16).”

Senate Democrats must fight to reject Price’s HHS nomination. We must all protest massively against his appointment, as well as any attempts by Trump and his GOPers to repeal Obamacare, Medicare, and gut Planned Parenthood. Trump, remember, has no mandate. Our battle cry? “Hands off our Obamacare, Medicare, and Planned Parenthood!”

The mainstream media (MSM), especially the New York Times, has spent too much of the presidential transition wrongly arguing that “Demagogue Donald” is not really as extreme as he has been portrayed. Never mind his appointment of Breitbart white supremacist/ anti-Semitic hate enabler Steve Bannon as Donald’s chief White House counsel. Never mind Donald’s pick of wacko “it’s a war against cancerous Islam” Mike Flynn to be national security head. Never mind Donald’s nomination of Koch Congressman/ Benghazi witch hunter Mike Pompeo to head the CIA. Never mind anti-civil rights Alabama GOP Senator Jeff Sessions getting the “Trumpster’s” nod to lead the Justice Department. Never mind Trump’s refusal to put his billions into a blind trust. If he hands off his businesses to his children, what’s wrong with that? Never mind saying that his son-in-law, real estate big wig Jared Kushner, will be able to solve the Middle East Israel-Palestinian issue. Kushner will wave Donald’s “wand” and “presto, magico,” peace will break out. In this alternate “Trumpworld,” Donald and his picks are the “best people” around. Donald now says maybe he won’t use torture on detainees or that he himself won’t go after Hillary (while the GOP Congress might). Wow, crows the MSM! Donald’s a freaking frigging “moderate.” They applaud his picks of women as a signal that Trump is concerned with “diversity (NY Times, Landler & Haberman, 11/23/16, Shear, Hirscheld Davis, and Haberman, 11/22/16).” Give me a break! Donald has a “diversity” of extreme right wing wacko billionaires, or folks attuned to these billionaires. Donald’s nominees, who will manage day -to-day government operations, tell the real story. And Donald’s “deplorable” nominees just “keep on coming.” On 11/23/2016, Demagogue Donald nominated billionaire Betsy DeVos to head the Department of Education. Meet Betsy DeVos, the newest member of Donald’s pantheon of “deplorables.”

Michigan native, Elisabeth “Betsy” DeVos (58), is to the “manor born” in GOP right wing financial and political circles. Betsy DeVos grew up in Holland, Michigan. She is the daughter of Edgar Prince, a self-made industrialist and founder of Prince Corporation an automobile parts supplier based in Holland, Michigan that at one time employed one-quarter of that town’s population (Scahill, J., “Blackwater,” (2007)). DeVos’ mother, Elsa, has been a philanthropist and activist in conservative social causes, including support of a 2008 anti-gay marriage ballot initiative in California (Gray, Gorchow, Elrick, et al, “Detroit Free Press,” 10/22/08). Betsy DeVos’ brother, Erik Prince, was the founder of Blackwater, the troubled and controversial private security contractor that was awarded billions of U.S. government contracts in Iraq and much of the Middle East (See NY Times, Zernike, 11/23/16).

A graduate of the conservative Christian Reformed Calvin College in Grand Rapids Michigan, Betsy married Dick DeVos, Jr., whose father co-founded Amway Corporation. Betsy DeVos and her family have a fortune that Forbes estimated at $5 billion. DeVos and her family are among the nation’s biggest donors to the GOP and conservative Christian Right causes, including opposing same sex marriage (LA Times, Parsons & Wilkinson, 1123/16).

Billionaire powerbroker Betsy DeVos has been politically active since her Calvin College days, according to “Philanthropy Magazine.” She served as a GOP National Committeewoman in the 1990’s, as chair of the Michigan Republican Party from 1994-2000, and again, from 2003- 2005 (Alman, Huffington Post, 11/23/16). The “Lansing State Journal” described DeVos as a “political pit bull for most of Democratic Governor Jennifer Granholm’s 16 months in office.” That paper stated that if DeVos wasn’t Granholm’s “worst nightmare,” she was “certainly her most persistent (Andrews, 4/24/04).” In the three elections before 2016, De Vos and others gave nearly $9.5 billion to GOP committees and candidates, helping the GOP win House, Senate, gubernatorial, and state legislative majorities (See NY Times, 11/23/16, Landler & Haberman). A “Mother Jones” profile on the DeVos family referred to them as “the new Kochs (Alman, Huffington Post, 11/23/16).”

Betsy DeVos and her family have given the Acton Institute, a conservative non-profit, thousands of dollars in donations. DeVos was a member of Acton’s board for 10 years. This month, Acton posted an essay on its blog by Joseph Sunde calling child labor, “a gift our kids can handle.” This Acton essay argued, “Let us not just teach our children to play hard and study well… a long day’s work and a load of sweat have plenty to teach as well.” DeVos’- funded Acton has argued for abolishing child labor laws, and called mining an “exciting life” for poor kids.” OMG! This group of economic 19th Century “deplorables” congratulated DeVos on her Department of Education nomination prominently on its homepage (Huffington Post, Satlin, 11/24/16).”

DeVos may support people who want child labor regulations abolished. However, her major obsession for nearly 30 years remains steering money away from public schools, or gutting public education by funding charter schools and pushing school vouchers. Charter schools are publicly (taxpayer) funded, privately managed institutions of K-12 education. Although she politically and financially supported Fla. Sen. Marco Rubio in the 2016 GOP presidential primary, DeVos stated she was honored to help Trump “make American education great again (detroitnews.com/story/news/politics/2016/11/23).” In announcing DeVos’ nomination, Trump called her “a brilliant and passionate education advocate. Under her leadership, we will reform the U.S. education system and break the bureaucracy that is holding our children back so that we can deliver world-class education and school choice to all families (LA Times, Parsons & Wilkinson, 11/23/16).” Translation: “we will do our utmost to weaken public education, by diverting money to private schools.” As a candidate, Trump proposed steering $20 billion in existing federal money toward vouchers that families could use to help pay for private or parochial schools, perhaps tapping into $15 billion in so-called Title I money that goes to schools that serve the country’s poorest children. Trump called school choice, “the civil rights issue of our time (NY Times, Zernike, 11/23/16).”

According to the Detroit News, Trump, with his selection of DeVos as Education Secretary, has appointed a woman whose track record and qualifications are tied to the privatization of public schools. Betsy DeVos is chair of the American Federation for Children, a D.C.-based single-issue organization devoting to “expanding school of choice (charters, vouchers) options across the country (detroitnews.com, 11/23/2016, Kos, lizbirge, 11/23/16).” Ms. DeVos went into education advocacy primarily as a backer of vouchers and has campaigned for them across the country. In 2000, a ballot initiative she led to establish vouchers in Michigan failed (Zernike, NY Times, 11/23/16). In 2001, Ms. DeVos established the Great Lakes Education Project, which became a strong charter school expansion proponent. Great Lakes Education Project donated generously to candidates who supported it (Zernike, NY Times).

The Michigan law pushed by Ms. DeVos 20 years ago to establish charter schools allowed an unusually large number of organizations to start such schools, but established little mechanism for oversight. Even GOP supporters of charter schools say the DeVos-backed law allowed failing charter schools to expand or replicate (Zernike, NY Times, 11/23/16). As one of the architects of Detroit’s charter school system, Ms. DeVos is partly responsible for what even charter advocates acknowledge is the “biggest school reform disaster in the country.” One well-regarded study found Detroit’s charter schools performed at the same dismal level as its traditional public schools. The situation is so bad that national philanthropists interested in school reform refuse to work in Detroit. Ms. DeVos was the main driver of Michigan’s school overhaul. She devised Detroit’s system to run like the “Wild West (NY Times, Harris, 11/25/16).” Last spring, a DeVos-backed group was the chief force behind the defeat of legislation that would have established standards for identifying and closing failing schools, both charter and public, in Detroit. In fact, a flood of charter schools in Detroit during the past decade has created what even charter school supporters call “chaos (Zernike, NY Times, 11/23/16).” After more than a decade of Ms. DeVos getting her way on many statewide education policies, Michigan has the “great” distinction of being one of five states with declining reading scores (Harris, NY Times, 11/25/16).

And now, Ms. DeVos, with Donald’s blessing, plans to do to the U.S. what she did to Michigan, starve public education and bring in alternatives that don’t change anything. Demagogue Donald, the great “change” agent many voted for. Randi Weingarten, American Federation of Teachers president said it all, “In nominating DeVos, Trump makes it loud and clear that his education policy will focus on privatizing, defunding, and destroying public education in America.” The National Education Association (NEA), which represents teachers and school administrators, stated the DeVos pick shows how “out of touch” the Trump administration is with what’s best for students and educators. In the NEA’s words, “DeVos has consistently pushed a corporate agenda to privatize, de-professionalize, and impose cookie-cutter solutions to public education (Huffington Post, Alman, 11/23/16).” Along with Atty. General nominee Sessions, Democrats must reject Trump’s disastrous Cabinet pick of DeVos for Education Secretary. She is totally unfit to deal with the educational challenges of the 21st Century.

Too often, the mainstream media (MSM) gets it very wrong. They wrongly went ballistic when Hillary properly called many of Demagogue Donald’s supporters a “basket of deplorables.” The MSM, instead, spent from 3/2015 to the end of Campaign 2016 screaming at high decibels about Hillary’s use of a private server while she was at the State Department. They ridiculously made this issue the equivalent of first degree murder. Never mind that W’s former Secretaries of State Colin Powell and Condolezza Rice, both GOPers used private servers and Powell encouraged Hillary to do that. Of course, no FBI agents looked at them. IOKIYAR, “It’s OK if you’re a Republican.” The MSM ignored the real issue, Donald’s association with true “deplorables,” major white supremacists and wacky super- hawkish foreign policy “experts.”

We are now fully acquainted with one of Donald’s first appointments, “Deplorable-in-Chief” anti-Semitic, anti-Asian, anti-immigrant, and alt-right Breitbart champ Steve Bannon. He will, despite a huge public outcry, occupy the powerful Senior White House Counselor’s position.

The Bannon “deplorable” appointment was no outlier. On 11/18/2016, “The Donald” named three more “deplorables,” two to his national security team, and one to the Cabinet. They are retired Army Lt General Michael Flynn for national security adviser, GOP Congressman Mike Pompeo for CIA Director, and GOP Senator Jeff Sessions as Attorney General (CNN Kopan, 11/16/16).

General Flynn (57), as Trump’s national security adviser, would be a critical gatekeeper for Donald. Flynn would oversee a staff of about 400. With Trump knowing little to nothing about national security, Flynn would have even more influence over Donald’s policy positions on China, N. Korea, Europe, and the Middle East. Flynn was not a GOP “establishment” candidate. He is a wild card. He was fired by President Obama in 2014 from his position as head of the Defense Intelligence Agency. He alienated many former colleagues. Flynn believes that the problems that the U.S. faces in the Middle East stem from the Islamic faith itself. He criticized the Islamic religion as being nothing more than a “political ideology.” He makes a point of using the phrase “radical Islamic terrorism” as often as possible. He once posted a video on his Twitter account that included a phrase “Fear of Muslims is rational.” He sees Islam as a “metastasizing cancer.” Flynn claimed that Shariah, or Islamic law, is spreading in the U.S., but gave no evidence as proof (NY Times, 11/17/16, Hirschfeld Davis & Haberman). He has a fiery temperament and often tweets conspiracy theories. Flynn advised Trump throughout the campaign. Flynn led chants of “lock her (Hillary) up” for her use of a private server during the GOP convention. No violations of Hilary passing classified information were found, although this issue probably cost Hillary the election. Flynn’s conspiracy and anti-Muslim views are a better match for Skid Row ranters, not a top White House adviser.

While Flynn yelled about Hillary’s fake national security “problems,” his record is quite “interesting.” Flynn has, like Trump, been criticized for his closeness to Russia. Flynn appeared on a Russian TV network where he sat next to Russian President Vladimir Putin at a dinner celebrating the Russian RT network (CNN, Kopan, 11/18/16). While Flynn was advising Trump on national security matters and receiving classified intelligence information during the campaign, he was also running a company, Flynn Intel Group. This group was lobbying on behalf of foreign clients, including a close ally of Turkey’s controversial president, Recep Erdogan. On Election Day, Flynn himself penned an op-ed in “The Hill” newspaper which said the U.S. should extradite an exiled cleric Fetullah Gulen, allegedly involved in trying to overthrow Erdogan (CNN Browne, 11/18/16). Yes, Donald Trump, the “cleanser” of the D.C. lobbyist swamp.

And which “deplorable” did Demagogue Donald pick to be his CIA Director? Why none other than 52 year- old Kansas GOP Congressman Mike Pompeo. Pompeo, who represents the Wichita area/ Kansas’ 4th Congressional District, is known as the Koch Brothers “bought and paid for” Congressman. Koch Industries is headquartered in Wichita. The right wing anti-regulatory brothers Charles and David Koch gave Pompeo $80,000 when he first ran in 2010, more than they gave any other congressman (NY Times, Mazetti & Hirschfeld Davis). Pompeo graduated first in his class from West Point, served in the military, and then obtained a degree from Harvard Law. With three West Point friends, Pompeo founded Thayer Aerospace in Wichita and received help from Koch. In 2006, he sold his shares in Thayer and became president of a Wichita oil firm, Sentry International (Washington Post, Eggen, 3/20/11). Koch also had an interest in Sentry. Before running for Congress, Pompeo served as a trustee at Flint Hills Policy Institute, a conservative think tank. Pompeo is a Tea Party favorite (Huffington Post, Wilkie, 11/18/16).

Pompeo has no actual experience with intelligence issues. However, as far as Trump is concerned, Pompeo has the right ideology, enough to qualify for this sensitive post. Pompeo never had any problems with the sweeping domestic surveillance intelligence plans initially used by the NSA, National Security Agency. He felt them “lawful, constitutional, and consistent with defeating radical Islamic terrorism.” Like Flynn, he believes in using “enhanced interrogation techniques,” read torture, which the Obama administration ended. He is strongly against, like Trump, the treaty we negotiated with Iran, to limit its nuclear programs. Pompeo shares Trump’s exaggerated fears and opposition to Muslims. In a speech on the House floor after the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings, Pompeo singled out Islamic faith leaders as potentially complicit in crimes committed by their congregants, even though many of them repeatedly condemn these terrorist acts (See Huffington Post, Wilkie,11/18/16).

In the House, Pompeo sat on the Select Benghazi Committee, the witch hunting outfit that unsuccessfully went after Hillary. During her marathon testimony before that body, he falsely accused her “team” of having met with Al Qaeda operatives shortly before the Benghazi attacks (MEDIAITE, Griswold, 10/22/15 ,”Vox,” Allen, 10/22/15). Although the Benghazi Committee found no new evidence of wrongdoing, Pompeo filed a 48-page addendum that accused Hillary and her team of “playing politics to help her legacy.” Even GOP Benghazi Chair Trey Gowdy did not sign this addendum (See Mazzetti & Hirschfeld, 11/18/16).

“Last but far from least” in the Trump pantheon of “deplorables” is his pick to be Attorney General, or head the Justice Department, Alabama 4th-term Senator GOP Senator, Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III (69). Sessions was the first sitting Senator to endorse Trump (Kos, teacherken, 11/18/16). Trump’s idea of hiring the “best” people, IMHO, means picking folks who have been 10,000% loyal to him. Trump stated he was “unbelievably impressed” with Sessions (Huffington Post, Reilly, 11/17/16). Demagogue Donald’s apparently “impressed” with a fellow the Huffington Post aptly headlined a “Dark Age Attorney General (11/18/16).”

Sessions grew up southwest of Montgomery, Alabama where there were many African Americans. However, he had little sympathy for them. As an Alabama U.S. Attorney, he was accused by critics of “gross insensitivity” on racial matters. According to sworn statements by Justice Department lawyers, he called the NAACP and the ACLU “communist inspired.” He said these groups tried to “force civil rights down the throats of people (CQ Politics 08 Almanac).” He called a white lawyer who represented civil rights workers “a disgrace to his race.” Sessions also stated he thought the Ku Klux Klan was “OK until I learned they smoked pot (H. Schwartz, “Right Wing Justice).” A black attorney was called “boy” by Sessions. Sessions once threw a file of civil rights cases on a table and said, “I wish I could decline all of them (Huffington Post, Reilly, 11/17/16).” Sessions was big on prosecuting “voter fraud” cases against blacks as a U.S. Attorney. Because of his hostility to civil rights, the GOP-dominated Senate voted down then Pres. Reagan’s nomination of Sessions to a Federal District Judgeship in 1986 (CQ Almanac).

Sessions had the “last laugh.” He was elected to a U.S. Senate seat from “Crimson Red” Alabama in 1996 and received a position on the Judiciary Committee. During Bill Clinton and Barack Obama’s presidencies, as an obstructionist “pit bull,” Sessions delayed in committee many progressive judges. These included a Calif. nominee who had opposed that state’s 1994 anti-immigration Proposition 187 (Schwartz, “Right Wing Justice”).

Sessions was one of just 9 GOPer’s to vote against Sen. McCain’s provision banning torture. He is in favor of using waterboarding against terrorist detainees, wrongly calling this technique “effective (Goldman, NY Times, 11/18/16, Open Congress).” Sessions has never changed his anti-civil rights views. He called the 1965 Voting Rights Act “a piece of intrusive legislation (NY Times, Editorial Bd., 11/18/16).” He voted against reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act, efforts to remove the Confederate flag, and against repealing the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” law that barred openly gay and lesbian individuals from the military. He defended Trump’s lewd behavior and vulgar comments about “grabbing women (Huffington Post, Clawson, Kos, 11/18/16).”

Sessions has been against immigration reform from the get-go. He was a key leader in opposition to the bipartisan immigration bill that made its way through the Senate under Obama but died in the GOP House (CNN, Kopan, 11/18/16). In 2006, Sen. Sessions, argued against immigration reform by W. He then, called most immigrants coming from the Dominican Republic “lacking in skills that would benefit us (Huffington Post, Stein, 11/19/16).” On 12/10/2015, Sen. Sessions broke with his fellow GOPers to vote against an amendment stating that the Senate should not create policies that discriminate based on religion. He gave a half-hour speech arguing that the federal government should be allowed to use any criteria it wants to decide who gets in this country, including religion (“Daily Beast,” Woodruff, 11/19/16).

As Attorney General, Sessions would have the authority to challenge immigration laws or Voting Rights Act violations. Based on his record, he will do little to stop civil rights violations. He will only go against “voter fraud” by African Americans, the bogus issue most GOPers now obsessively pursue. He wants to keep investigating Hillary over her email server. He will push for deporting more immigrants just as Donald wants (CNN de Vogue, 11/18/16).

Sessions is subject to Senate confirmation, as is CIA nominee Pompeo. Many Democratic Senators, including Nev.’s newly elected Catherine CortezMasto and Mass.’ Elizabeth Warren intend to oppose Sessions’ nomination. Even if we lose this battle, we must “take our stand” against reactionary Sessions. He was not fit to be a District Judge in 1986, and certainly not Attorney General in 2017. We must also oppose Koch/ Benghazi CIA nominee Pompeo. Although Bannon and Flynn’s appointments do not require confirmation, we must keep condemning them too. Racist, anti-Semitic, anti-Muslim, and misogynistic appointees must not be viewed as the “new normal” in 21st Century America. Hillary has at least a 1.5 million popular vote margin that will increase as all the votes are counted (Wasserman, Kos, Einenkel, 11/18/16). According to Gallup, only 29% of those polled feel Donald has a mandate (Shoreblue, Paris, 11/18/16). Just say “No” to “Deplorable-in-Chief” Donald and to his “yuuge” basket of “deplorable” appointees.

Democrats, see what happens when you stay home in a few key Midwestern states? See what happens when too many members of our party decide that Hillary is more dishonest than corrupt, misogynistic, bigoted Donald? See what happens when some of you vote for dead end third party candidates or skip the presidential choice entirely, just filling in the down ballot races? See what happens when too many Democrats and independent-leaning Democrats hear Donald’s fake “siren” song of promising to give them jobs that will never return? In 2016, of the nearly 700 counties that twice sent Obama to the White House, 1/3 of them flipped to Donald. Trump also won 194 of 207 counties that voted for Obama in either 2008 or 2012. And of the 2,000 counties that never supported Obama, Clinton peeled off just 6, or .3 percent (washingtonpost.com/graphics/politics/2016-election/obama-trump-counties). As a result, Clinton lost Penn., Ohio, and Michigan, killing her electoral chances to win the Presidency.

Sure, Hillary won the popular vote. As of 11/12/1206, she had a 1.8 million vote edge that will grow when all the 7 million votes left, mainly in “Blue” Calif., Washington State, and NY are counted. As of 11/11/2016, NY Times columnist David Leonhardt noted that Hillary, with a 1.7%-point popular vote lead over Donald, will have a larger margin of victory than Nixon had over Humphrey in 1968, or JFK had over Nixon in 1960. Her edge is also larger than Al Gore’s 2000 popular vote win over W. However, under our Constitution, Hillary’s Electoral College vote loss, like Gore’s, will keep her out of the Oval Office (See Huffington Post, Marans, 11/12/16). Trump, a popular vote loser, therefore, has no political mandate.

Trump and his gang could care less. His campaign manager Kellyanne Conway, is crowing about a “mandate” and arguing against reality that their team won the popular vote. Democrats and Democratic-leaning voters who flipped for Trump because of his promises to “shake things up” and get them jobs have seen him break a key promise immediately after the election. Trump, remember, campaigned on “destroying the political establishment and against the corrupt power of ‘special interests.’” Well, surprise, surprise! Trump is loading/ larding up his transition team with corporate consultants and lobbyists. The transition team constitutes the group that will decide who gets which key Cabinet and over 4,000 agency posts, those who run the administration’s day- to- day work (NY Times, Lipton, 11/11/2016).

Jeffery Eisenach, a consultant who worked for years on behalf of Verizon and other telecommunication clients, is heading up the team to pick members at the FCC, Federal Communications Commission. Michael Catanzaro, a lobbyist whose clients include Devon Energy and Encana Oil and Gas, holds the “energy independence” (LOL) portfolio. Michael Torrey, a lobbyist who ran a firm helping dairy giant Dean Foods and the American Beverage Association, is setting up the transition team at the Department of Agriculture. People representing “small farmers” need not apply. Edwin Meese III, who served as Reagan’s Attorney General, is helping oversee management and budget issues, and, no doubt, judicial ones too. Meese is associated with the right- wing Heritage Foundation. Under Reagan, he pushed interpreting the Constitution as it was written in 1789, just as the late Justice Scalia did. Many of these new Trump voters were not voting for this GOP 1% super rich/big business agenda, just jobs. Both Democratic and GOP critics of Trump see the inclusion of advisers with industry sector ties as a first sign that Trump may not follow through on all his promises. Peter Wehner, who served under Reagan and W aptly stated, “This whole idea that he (Trump) was an outsider and is going to destroy the political establishment and ‘drain the swamp’ were the lines of a con man, and guess what—he is being exposed as just that. He is failing his first test, and he should be held accountable for it (See NY Times, Lipton, 11/11/16).”

And there is more. On 11/13/2016, Trump appointed Reince Priebus, the current RNC (Republican National Committee Chair), a loyal campaign adviser, to be his White House Chief- of-Staff. Priebus is another establishment “insider.” He was a campaign loyalist who helped Trump with voter turnout. Priebus is a friend of radical budget cutting/kill Medicare Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wisconsin). Priebus knew all about getting out angry voters, because he had previously worked with successful hard-right union busting Wisconsin GOP Governor Scott Walker (Balz, Washington Post, Ball, “The Atlantic,” 8/29/12). In an official announcement, Trump gave top billing to his appointment of Stephen K. Bannon, a right- wing media provocateur, before mentioning Priebus. Bannon will be Donald’s senior counselor and chief West Wing strategist. Bannon had also been considered for the chief-of-staff post. Bannon became Trump’s campaign chair after Paul Manafort, accused of being too close to Russian interests, had to resign in 8/2016 (See NY Times, 11/13/16, Shear, Haberman, & Rappeport, Grim & Cohn, Huffington Post, 11/13/16).

Bannon will hold the position that political ace Karl Rove had in W’s White House. Combative Bannon may be just as or more influential than Priebus. Before becoming part of the Trump campaign, Bannon (62) was executive chair of Breitbart News, the parent company of Breitbart (3/2012-8/2016), (“Politico,” Hagey, 3/19/12, Washington Post, 8/17/16). Bannon thinks of himself as “virtually anti-establishment (Fahri, Wash. Post, 1/27/16).” He is, frankly, an old- fashioned hater. Breitbart News wrote articles praising the Confederate flag after the Charleston African American AME Church massacre, claiming birth control makes women “unattractive and crazy,” and calling seriously wounded former Dem. Congresswoman Gabby Giffords, “The Gun Control Movement’s Human Shield.” Bannon has been repeatedly condemned by Hillary and civil rights groups as a spokesman for the alt-right, a group of white supremacists, KKKers, neo-Nazis, and other anti-Semitic crazies who openly rallied to Trump as the white man’s “savior” from “multiculturalism (Yahoo News, 11/1416).” Bannon , while still at t Breitbart’s helm, allowed an article to be run that called neo-conservative Republican Bill Kristol a “Renegade Jew (5/15/16, Breitbart).” Since Bannon’s time, Breitbart News has become the go-to site for alt-right groups (JTA, 11/14/16).

In a sworn 2007 court declaration by an ex-wife of his, she outlined three separate anti-Semitic remarks Bannon made to her. While he was touring a private school for his daughters with this ex-wife, Bannon asked the school’s director, “why there were so many Chanukah books in the library.” At another school, Bannon’s asked his ex “if it bothered her that the school used to be in a (Jewish) Temple.” When she said, “’No’, and asked ‘why,’ he did not respond.” At another academy, the ex-wife claimed that Bannon said that “the biggest problem he had with Archer (that school) is the number of Jews that attend. He said he didn’t like Jews and that he doesn’t like the way they raise their kids to be ‘whiney brats’ and that he didn’t want the girls going to school with Jews (NBC News, Chuck, Vitali, Blankstein, & Wall, 8/2716).” When this came out, in 8/2016, Trump did not fire Bannon. Bannon was charged in 2/1996 with domestic violence, battery, and trying to dissuade a victim from reporting a crime, but the case was dropped, when this same ex, Ms. Piccard, did not show up in court. In court records, Ms. Piccard later claimed that Bannon had instructed her to leave town to avoid testifying (NY Times, Shear, Haberman, & Rappeport, 11/13/16). What an “outstanding” fellow this Bannon is!

The outrage over Bannon getting this major White House post, requiring no congressional confirmation, has, rightly, been intense. The Huffington Post, headlined its main 11/13/2016 article, “Anti-Semite Gets Top Trump Post.” A spokesman for outgoing Dem. Sen. Leader Harry Reid stated that Trump’s choice of Bannon signals “that White Supremacists will be represented at the highest levels in the Trump White House.” The Southern Poverty Law Center and the ADL (Anti-Defamation League) condemned the appointment. The ADL stated that “Bannon and his alt-right are so hostile to core American values (Huffington Post, Grim & Cohn, 11/13/16).” The Council on Islamic Relations said that Bannon’s selection “sends the disturbing message that anti-Muslim conspiracy theories and white nationalist ideology will be welcome in the White House.” John Weaver, a GOP strategist who had previously worked with Sen. John McCain and Ohio’s GOP Gov. John Kasich, warned, “Be very vigilant, America (Shear, Hulse, & Rappeport, NY Times, 11/14/16).” Oregon Democratic Senator Jeff Merkley strongly condemned the Bannon appointment and said Trump should rescind it (Merkley Press Release, 11/14/2016).

White supremacists, including David Duke, love the Bannon pick (CNN, Kaczynski & Massie, 11/14/16) However, all the rest of us, including Democratic Leaders Cong. Nancy Pelosi and Sen. Chuck Schumer must oppose any blatant racism, xenophobia, and anti-Semitism and condemn Bannon’s appointment. Attempts to undue the social safety net including, Obamacare, environmental rules, and pro-choice measures must also be resisted from the get-go. Trump came in with just a bottom- lying 36% popularity rating (Daily Kos) and should be challenged with no fear. Demagogue Donald and his followers deserve no honeymoon. We must now look seriously at getting rid of the Electoral College, an institution that gave the popular vote presidential loser the White House in 1824, 1876, 1888, 2000, and 2016. Enough is enough. Again, Democrats must come out strongly in every state during both presidential and midterm elections. That is the only way to “drain the swamp.”

By Came In On Saturdays | November 10, 2016 at 01:11 AM EST | No Comments

Absentee Democrats Defeat Hillary and the Rest of the Party—It’s Turnout to the Tenth Power, Stupid! November 09, 2016

Are Democrats, the “supposed” reality-based party suffering from a severe memory loss? Or are they guilty of political insanity? “Insanity,” according to Nobel Laureate Albert Einstein, is “doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” Do they not remember or understand what happened in 1994, 2010, and 2014? In those midterm election years, Democrats stayed away from the polls because they felt Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama hadn’t passed enough progressive bills and failed to immediately right the economy. The result? In 1994, angry GOP voters took back the House and Senate as well as many governors mansions and state legislatures. It took the Democrats 12 years to recapture both congressional chambers and the majority of governorships and legislatures. In 2010, just 4 years after taking back the House, Senate, state legislatures, and governorships, and just two years into President Obama’s administration, Democrats pulled the stay home act again. This time, they lost the House and many state posts to a GOP Tea Party tsunami. The GOP was then able to enact lopsidedly gerrymandered state and congressional districts to keep themselves in power probably for the next decade. In 2014, Democrats played their childish don’t vote game again, losing the Senate and putting themselves further in the hole in the House and in state legislative bodies.

In Campaign 2016, Democrats played the stay home game again. This time, in a presidential year where all the political marbles are up for grabs. Do they think that staying at home during a presidential v. a midterm contest will give them a different result, this time, victory? If so, they are then truly insane. On 11/08/2016, Democrats were hoping to put Hillary Clinton in the White House to continue Obama’s health care reforms and appoint a new Supreme Court Justice to fill the late Justice Scalia’s seat. And they wanted to continue and add to Obama’s progressive legacy. Instead, what happened? GOP nominee Donald Trump, the most unqualified person in American history to run for President, a bigot, xenophobe, sexual harasser, serial liar, and friend of Russian aggressor Vladimir Putin, wins the White House against Hillary, probably the most qualified person ever to run for that office. Hillary eked out a popular vote win, 47.7% to Donald’s 47.5%, or 59, 390, 851 million votes to Trump’s 59, 215, 097 million (CNN, Huffington Post). However, under the Electoral College system in our Constitution, Donald took 276 votes to Hillary’s 218, pushing him over the “magic” 270 number. Hillary won the West Coast, Calif., Ore., Wash., and Hawaii, and took the Western states of Colorado, Nevada, and New Mexico. She won all of New England. She took the Mid-Atlantic States of NY, NJ, Del., and Md. She also won D.C. and Va. However, she lost crucial Fla. by 1% of the vote (48% to Donald’s 49%). Most fatal to Hillary was the collapse of her Midwest and Penn. “firewall.” She lost Penn. by 1% (again, 48% to Donald’s 49%). She lost Michigan and Wisconsin by 1% of the vote, 47% v. Donald’s 48% in both states (See NY Times chart 10:47 AM ET11/09/16). Hillary failed to win N. Carolina where she thought she had a strong chance, 47% to Donald’s 51% (NY Times chart).

Many analysts are arguing that Trump, with his demagoguery and constant insults of nearly half the American population was able to bring out in “yuuge” droves white working class voters, especially those who lived in rural areas. This group were the heirs to Nixon’s “silent majority,” those who respected authority and resented blacks, immigrants, and others being taken care of instead of them. Many in this group, even if not “deplorable” bigots themselves, saw such talk by “The Donald” as “authentic,” not that of a “typical establishment” politician like Hillary or all the GOP candidates he had defeated in the primaries. Only the USC/LA Times Poll, which was viewed as 2016’s outlier, caught this Trump wave coming with its own weighting samples. This poll determined in 8/2016 that Trump’s chances of winning depended on mobilizing white voters who sat out 2012, finding Mitt Romney too elitist. This poll found Trump supporters were more comfortable talking to family members and friends about their choice, but not telling telephone pollsters about their vote. Women who backed Trump were less likely to talk to a pollster about their choice., fearing ridicule. In 2012, this very same poll outfit, unlike many others, who saw Romney in the lead, predicted Obama’s win and did not underestimate his support (LA Times, Lauter, 11/08/16). According to this viewpoint, multicultural groups may be the future trend in the U.S., but angry white hidden majorities, especially in the un/underemployed Rust Belt, will dominate national elections for quite a while.

However, number crunching tells a different and, unfortunately, very familiar story. Of the Rust Belt states that swung the election to Demagogue Donald, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania, only in Penn. was there a significant shift of voters from the “Blue” to “Red” column from 2012 to 2016. In Wisconsin, the Democratic turnout in 2016 decreased by 243, 397 votes from 2012. In Wisconsin, GOPers had a far lesser loss of 3,590, compared to “Team Blue.” In 2016 Michigan, the Democratic turnout decreased by 322, 639. The GOP Michigan turnout in 2012, when native son Romney ran was 2,115, 256, but increased in 2016 to 2, 258, 166, an increase of 142, 910. In Penn., in 2016, the Democratic turnout decreased by 146, 190, while the GOP increased to 231, 552. An analysis of these numbers did not show a horde of angry “deplorables” coming out of their caves. Had Democrats shown up at the 2012 level in 2016, there would have been a 1% shift in this trio of states and Hillary would have had a narrow electoral win. The Clinton campaign, which lost Wisconsin to Bernie Sanders over the trade issue, did not visit that state during the general election. They also did not cultivate Michigan enough, another state they lost to Bernie in the primary over trade agreements. Again, too many Democrats stayed home. Clinton thought she had those states in the bag and unsuccessfully tried to expand the map to Texas and Arizona. Her camp failed to nail down basics and hammer turnout (See Daily Kos, Sumner, 11/09/16).

African American turnout was down in 2016 from 12% v. 13% in 2012. In 2012, 93% of the blacks voted for Obama, v. 7% for Romney. In 2016, 88% of blacks went for Hillary, v. 8% for Trump, a smaller margin that hurt in this close race. Hispanics were 11% of the electorate in 2016, just up from 10% in 2012 And despite Trump’s talk of building a wall on the Mexican border and calling them “criminals and rapists,” 65% of Latinos went for Hillary, but 29% for Trump. In 2012, when Romney merely used the words “self-deportation,” Obama won 71% of the Hispanic vote to Romney’s 27%. Again, Hillary underperformed Obama in a close election. Asian voters who showed up, 4% of the electorate in 2016, gave Hillary 65% of their vote, while they gave Obama 70% of their vote in 2012. Although there was talk about a big white voter turnout, especially in Trump’s camp, white voters, made up 70% of the electorate in 2016, down from 72% in 2012, And despite all the talk in pre-election polls about the Bernie Sanders young crowd going for Hillary, she won just 55% of the 18-29 year olds compared to Trump’s 37%. In 2012, Obama won 60% of the young voters to Romney’s 37%. Women went for Hillary 54% to Trump’s 42%. Even though 70% of the voters said that Trump’s treatment of women bothered them, they didn’t flock to Hillary to break the glass ceiling. Obama won 55% of the female vote in 2012(CNN Luhby, 11/09/16). CNN credited Hillary’s loss to not holding the Obama coalition together and, once again, upon the failure of blacks, Latinos, and younger voters to show up at the polls in sufficient numbers (Luhby). Heard that all before?

Of course, the media, spent more time making this contest into a horserace. And they made Clinton’s use of a private email server while she was at the State Department to read emails and correspond with others, into the equivalent of a first degree murder charge. No evidence was found that Hillary ever sent classified information on that server in violation of federal law. Former GOP Sec. of State Colin Powell told her he did that himself and advised her to use a private server. Former GOP Sec. of State Condolezza Rice also used a private server. The FBI spent months investigating Hillary and found she had not violated any laws in 7/2016. Never mind. The media revived among Hillary haters and many other voters the idea that her use of the server made her “untrustworthy.” This non-crime was made to be the moral equivalent in the media’s world of Trump’s business failures, lies, and sexual harassment. In the end, polls saw Hillary as more untrustworthy than Donald!

Eleven days before the election, FBI Director Comey, reopened this case, saying that more emails had been found. The mainstream media called this matter a blow to her campaign. Two days before the election, Comey cleared her of any wrongdoing. Comey’s publicly reopening this issue, against the advice of the Justice Department, did great damage to Hillary. At least 13% of the electorate made up their minds on whom to vote for during the last week of the campaign. According to House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and according to Democratic Senate leaders, the Democrats were stopped in their tracks from making strong inroads in the House and the Senate by Comey’s political stunt. Presently, Democrats have taken back just 4 House seats with several more races still to be decided. Democrats had hoped to get about 20 or so seats back in the House where the GOP held a 30-seat majority. In the Senate, the Democrats needed to turn 5 seats “Blue” with a Trump victory. War hero Tammy Duckworth flipped GOPer Mark Kirk’s seat in Illinois “blue.” And on 11/09/2016, N. Hampshire Gov. Maggie Hassan defeated GOPer Kelly Ayotte in a nail biter. Unfortunately, we remain 3 seats short of a Senate majority, because of our poor turnout. Even Russ Feingold, once heavily favored to take out GOP lightweight Ron Johnson, went down to defeat in Wisconsin. Democrats, at least, kept retiring leader Harry Reid’s seat in the “blue” column with Nev. Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto winning it. She becomes the first Latina in the Senate. In the House, San Diego area Democratic witch hunter Darrell Issa, unfortunately, won a close race against former Marine Democrat Doug Applegate, 51%-49%. Democrats won some high profile House races. In a fairer redistricted Fla., former Gov. Charlie Crist, now a Democrat, defeated GOPer David Jolly. Dem. Stephanie Murphy beat anti-Amtrak Congressman John Mica, and Scott Garret of New Jersey also fell. There was very little ticket splitting in the congressional and Senate races, so the GOP, with its good night, had the upper hand (Wall Street Journal, Hughes, S., 11/09/16, AP 11/09/16). Unfortunately, GOPers won governor’s races in Mo., New Hampshire, and Vermont, expanding their statehouse leadership to their strongest in decades. Fortunately, GOP N. Carolina Governor Pat McCrory lost re-election by 4,772 votes to Democratic Atty. General Roy Cooper. His support of HB2, the bill that repealed the local LGBT ordinances did him in (Chicago Tribune, 11/09/16, Outward, Stern 11/09/16). And cruel/racist Sheriff Joe Arpaio lost his re-election bid in Arizona (Outward, Stern, 11/09/16. )

In an emotional concession speech given on the morning of 11/09/2016, Hillary stated that her loss was not the “outcome we wanted and she was sorry she did not win.” She did put President-elect Trump on notice that she will fight for core American values, including opposing Trump’s draconian immigration policies. With a Trump presidency, Obama’s legacy, including Obamacare could be repudiated. Merrick Garland’s appointment to the Scalia’s High Court seat is dead, and Trump will pick a Scalia clone. Pray for the health of Justices Ginsburg, Breyer, Kagan, and Sotomayor during the next four years.

On a personal note, the day before the election, 11/07/2016, was the 12th anniversary of my writing this political blog. I had hoped that I would be writing about Hillary’s victory, our re-taking the Senate, and cutting into a “Red House.” Because of our poor turnout, once again, I am writing that we must do our best to turn out in ALL national elections. Elections count. Obama, during this campaign, warned his coalition of blacks and young people that he “would consider” it a personal insult to his legacy if they didn’t propel Hillary to the type of electoral victory he had received.” Well, Obama, and millions of Americans like me now feel personally insulted. When Obama leaves the White House, he will work on passing initiatives that allow retired judges or similar bi-partisan panels to do redistricting to stop the heavily GOP gerrymandering. Such initiatives, if successful, could help “Team Blue” take back the House. Again, however, if we don’t come out to vote for those initiatives or the congressmen and state legislatures running for those seats, such reform will be useless. Democrats must “fall in line” and vote in droves in every election. We have the population. There are more of us than the older angry GOPers. In the words of the Nike commercial, “Just do it.” Always vote, vote, vote! We can then take our government back from the likes of Donald Trump and his extremist GOPers.

By Came In On Saturdays | October 30, 2016 at 05:35 PM EDT | No Comments

It’s Turnout and Mandate for a “Team Blue” Top to Bottom VictoryOctober 30, 2016

President Barack Obama and presidential candidate Hillary Clinton certainly don’t lack in the “smarts” department. Both of them have long realized that Hillary’s just eking out a presidential win would not be enough to continue Obama’s progressive/trailblazing legacy. In order to get key Democratic legislation passed, even to have federal justices (Supreme Court ones included) and other key appointees confirmed, “Team Blue” must take back the Senate and recapture, or at least, sharply cut into the House’s GOP majority. If Democrats want to stop the anti-voting rights moves, anti-LGBT laws, anti-consumer legislation, and lopsided GOP gerrymandering of state and federal legislative districts, they must also aim to recapture, starting with 2016, the majority of state legislative chambers and governorships. Since her “Yuugely” successful debate performances against Demagogue Donald, Hillary is leading “Mr. Unhinged.” She has, according to many respectable analysts, several routes to winning the presidential political World Series, the 270 Electoral College “magic” vote number. Fewer swing states remain in Demagogue Donald’s reach. Even normally GOP ones, Arizona and Georgia included, may be in play for Hillary (See Huffington Post, Nate Silver, Daily Kos, Sam Wang).

As Hillary’s poll margins increase, the chances for Democratic wins at the down ticket level, Senate, House, and state races increase. Should Hillary win, Democrats need only to flip a net 4 U.S. Senate seats from the “Red” to “Blue” column. Democrats have promising opportunities to do that in states such as Illinois (Tammy Duckworth), Wisconsin (Rus Feingold), Pennsylvania (Katie McGinty), and New Hampshire (Maggie Hassan). In Nevada, Democratic candidate Catherine Cortez Masto seems to be pulling ahead of GOPer Joe Heck in her attempt to keep retiring Dem. Sen. Minority Harry Reid’s seat in “Column Blue.” In Colorado, Dem. Michael Bennet, running for a second term, is easily leading Tea Party GOPer Darryl Glenn. Two other possible Democratic pick- ups could occur with a Deborah Ross victory in swing state North Carolina and Jason Kander in “Red”-leaning Missouri.

The House will be a steeper climb. In order to take back the lower chamber, Democrats need a net turnover of 30 seats. In a “wave” presidential election year, such a result was often possible in the past. However, since the Tea Party GOP won the House and the majority of state legislatures and Governorships in 2010, they have, as I previously noted, lopsidedly gerrymandered federal House seats to put normally vulnerable GOPers in very safe districts. With present sophisticated computer-generated gerrymandering, voters don’t get to pick their congressman/congresswoman. Instead, the House member or candidate gets to pick his/her own constituents (See Mann & Ornstein, “It’s Even Worse Than It Looks”). Several political handicappers presently give the Democrats a chance to take back anywhere from 20-25 seats (Cook, Walter). Democratic Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi has told her troops that whoever takes the House will have a margin of single digits. As with the Senate, the bigger Hillary’s margin, the better “Team Blue’s” House gains.

Finally, there is the issue of Democrats taking back state legislative chambers and governors’ offices. Again, as with the Senate and House down-ticket races, a big Hillary victory margin will be most helpful at the state level. Democrats need to make up a lot of ground. Republicans control 68 of the nation’s 99 statehouse chambers, compared with the 36 they had at the start of 2010. Democrats are hoping to make significant gains in the statehouses of Minnesota, Colorado, Nevada, and New Hampshire. Maine, New Mexico, and New York, additionally, present good opportunities for “Blue” state pickups. Seven governorships are up for grabs (NY Times, Davey & Shear, 10/23/16). Besides passing progressive legislation and getting better redistricting, Democratic state majorities increase the “farm team” or bench that “Camp Blue” can have in future House, Senate, and presidential races.

Democrats are rightfully demanding that national and state GOP candidates take a stand to condemn Demagogue and misogynist Donald. If GOP nominees condemn him, they may lose much of their extreme right Tea Party base. And if they don’t denounce him, moderate GOPers will vote Democratic or stay home (See NY Times, Davey & Shear, 10/23/16). President Obama now has a 50%- plus popularity rating, political capital that he is using. Obama, Hillary, and other Democratic spokespersons are presently campaigning not only for a “Blue” White House, but also, to put as many Democrats as possible the Senate, House, and state chambers. Obama is personally assisting 150 state legislative candidates, his biggest effort to bolster local Democrats since he took office (NY Times, Davey & Shear).

The GOP is now claiming that it must win down ticket legislative victories to “check” Hillary. Such high school civics talk does not work today. This GOP argument hasn’t worked since the 1990’s when Republicans, under House Speaker Newt Gingrich and his successors, decided that “checking” Democratic presidents just meant saying “No,” to anything they proposed. This “check” on Democratic Presidents led to gridlocking Congress. “Team Red” went on to win several congressional mid-term elections after voters became frustrated with this legislative paralysis. Obama and most Democrats rightly condemn such GOP nonsense (CNN, Bradner, 10/25/16).

One of those GOPers “checking” Obama and wanting to “check” Hillary is none other than 8-term Calif. Republican Congressman Darrell Issa. Issa (63) currently represents California’s 49th Congressional District (CD). The post-2010 redistricted California 49th went from an R+10 Cook Partisan Voting Index (PVI) to an R+4 one (Barone American Politics Almanacs 2012 & 2014). The reconfigured Calif. 49th stretches along the Calif. coast from Dana Point to La Jolla. San Diego County accounts for about three-quarters of this CD’s population, Orange County the rest. Oceanside, Carlsbad, Vista, and San Clemente are in the 49th as well as the Marine Camp Pendleton base, this CD’s largest single employer. Health care and manufacturing are also economic mainstays. Although the GOP has an 8% registration edge in the 49th, that advantage has been eroding because of the district’s growing Latino population (LA Times, Willon, 9/20/16, CQ 14 Almanac).

Cleveland, Ohio native Issa made a fortune in a car-alarm business, Directed Electronics, Inc., known for its “Viper” car alarm. He re-located to Vista, Calif. Issa is one of the richest members of the House, worth over $251 million (Barone 10, CQ 10, opensecrets.org; Center for Responsive Politics, NY Times). In 2000, Issa put $2million of his own money into the race to succeed the retiring GOP Congressman and easily won. He is best known for sinking $1.7 million of his fortune into getting the signatures needed to recall Calif. Dem. Gov. Gray Davis in 2003. Without that money, the recall would have failed. Arnold Schwarzenegger elbowed Issa out of that race. We all know how “well” that turned out.

Issa is one big right winger. He is best known for witch-hunting Democrats, especially over the 2012 Benghazi terrorist attack, when he chaired the GOP House Oversight Committee. Issa “checks” Democrats with useless investigations full of hyperbole. Issa’s Benghazi and IRS fishing expeditions proved better at generating publicity for himself than finding any wrongdoing by Obama. The GOP leadership removed Issa from the Benghazi “investigation” and refused to extend his appointment as Oversight chair. They even moved Issa’s imposing portrait in that committee chamber from the wall to a spot near a coat rack (See NY Times, Williamson, 10/26/16).

Issa normally coasted to re-election with 30 point margins (LA Times, 9/20/16). After unsuccessfully campaigning for Marco Rubio, Issa came out for Trump, comparing him to Reagan, two weeks before the primary. After endorsing Donald, Issa received only 51% of the vote against Democrat Doug Applegate. Applegate came within 5.3 percentage points of Issa in the primary. Under Calif. law, the top two primary finishers compete in the Nov. general election (KPBS, Walsh. S., 10/10/16, Huffington Post, Barron-Lopez, 10/24/16). Although Issa condemned Trump’s disgusting sexual comments on the Access Hollywood video, Issa has not withdrawn his support (KPBS, 10/10 /16).

Doug Applegate grew up outside Dayton, Ohio. He joined the Marines after graduating from Arizona State University. During his 32 years of service, he served in Vietnam and completed combat tours of Baghdad and Fallujah. He received a law degree and served as a military attorney for about three decades (LA Times, 9/20/16). Applegate has attacked Issa as a D.C. insider and a climate science denier. A solid Democrat, Applegate is pro-choice, pro-Obamacare, and supports a path to citizenship for immigrants (LA Times, Willon, 9/20/16). Early in 10/2016, the Issa-Applegate race was changed to a “toss-up” by the non-partisan Cook Political Report, a sign that Issa’s re-election is in doubt (Huffington Post, 10/24/16, Barron-Lopez). Applegate’s military background should help in this district.

Issa, the pit bull opponent of Pres. Obama, now “claims” that he co-operates with him. Issa sent out a mailer showing a picture of Obama signing a bill that Issa had co-sponsored. On top of this photo is a quote from Issa saying he was “very pleased” that the president had signed such legislation. Obama was not buying Issa’s phony “co-operation” game. During a Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee fundraiser next to Issa’s district, Obama lashed Issa for wasting taxpayer’s money on “trumped-up investigations that have led nowhere.” Obama called Issa’s mailer the “definition of chutzpah. Here’s a guy who called my administration perhaps the most corrupt in history—despite the fact that we have not had a major scandal in my administration.” Obama stated that he believed Applegate said “Darrell Issa was Trump before Trump. And now he’s (Issa) sending out brochures touting his co-operation with me. Now, that’s shameless (Huffington Post, 10/24/16, Barron Lopez).” If Democrats have any chance of recapturing the House or cutting into its GOP margin, Applegate must win.

Hillary, President Obama, First Lady Michelle, Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), and others are doing their part to turn out Democratic voters for the entire ticket. Analysts are unsure just how strong turnout will be for either side. Turnout will determine if Hillary wins and by what margin. Democrats must understand that FBI Director James Comey’s attempt to bring up the e-mail issue against Hillary 11 days before the election was uncalled for partisan meddling (See NY Times, 10/29/16 Appuzzo, Goldman, Schmidt, and Rashbaum). It must be repudiated “big time” by us at the ballot box. Turnout will also determine whether Democrats take back the Senate, do well in the House, and win many state elections. State races are, sometimes, won by fewer than 100 votes (NY Times, Davey & Shear, 10/23/16). It’s all about the “T” and “M” words. It’s “turnout” and getting a “mandate” for progressive politics. Trump’s reactionary and bigoted views and his alt-right/white supremacist followers must be rejected.

log here.

Demagogue/Dictator Donald—“What a Scary Trump World This Would Be” August 7, 2016

“Sharknado 4” recently ran on our TV sets. What a scary world that portrayed. Of course, earlier this summer, Demagogue/ Dictator Donald had his “Team Red” Convention nightmare in Cleveland. One “YUUGE” difference, “Sharknado” is fiction. The characters in it can be killed and revived sequel to sequel. However, if “the Donald” wins in 11/2016, our country and world will be unable to perform such feats. There will be no political and economic “do-overs” with a Trump presidency. Demagogue/Dictator Donald has engaged in far too many political, “shark jumpings,” each one higher than the next. How can you top attacking the heroism of former POW, now Senator John McCain? How can you top “the Donald’s” calling for Russia, China, and other countries to hack into Hillary’s emails? Had any non-political/non-celebrity made these remarks, he/she could be looking at a treason prosecution. Demagogue Donald additionally had to trash 1970 Pakistani-Muslim immigrants, now ordinary American citizens, Khizr and Ghazala Khan. In 2004, the Khans became Gold Star parents when they lost their son, Captain Humayun Khan. Captain Khan was fighting for the U.S. in Iraq. Captain Khan, also a U.S. citizen and a Muslim, was killed when a car blew up. He told his troops to stand back while he went 10 steps forward to investigate the suspicious vehicle. Khan’s ultimate sacrifice saved the lives of his troops. American hero Khan was buried at Arlington National Cemetery and posthumously awarded the Purple Heart and Bronze Star. On 7/28/2016, the last day of the Democratic National Convention, Mr. Khan spoke about his son’s heroism. During his emotional speech, Mr. Khan waved a copy of the U.S. Constitution. He asked if Trump, who wants to exclude all Muslims from the U.S., had ever read it (CNN, Bradner, 7/31/16, MSNBC, 7/29/16, heavy.com/news). The Constitution, remember, guarantees freedom of religion and imposes no “religious tests (See Article VI, Amendment I).” Kudos, Mr. Khan! You said what most Democrats failed to state for many years-- the Constitution belongs to all of us, not just Tea Partiers, GOPers, or people who trace their ancestry to arriving on the “Mayflower.”

Demagogue Donald had to have the “last word.” Instead of honoring the Khans and their son’s sacrifice, he attacked Mrs. Khan. He declared she just sat with her husband and said nothing because her Muslim religion wouldn’t allow her as a woman to speak. Trump added that he himself had made “sacrifices” by giving jobs to thousands of people. Mrs. Khan pushed back. She stated that the only reason she could not speak at the convention was because she could not hold herself together when discussing her son’s death. A rightful firestorm of outrage by millions of Americans followed (CNN Brandner, 7/31/6).

And the Donald “shark jumpings” just keep on coming. On the 7/31/2016 ABC news program “This Week,” Trump told George Stephanopoulos that if he was president, Russia’s Vladimir Putin “would not send his forces into Ukraine.” Donald repeated several times that Putin was “not going into Ukraine.” When Stephanopoulos stated Putin was already in Ukraine, Trump kept fumbling. Trump said, “Putin’s there in a ‘certain way (NY Times, Sanger & Haberman, 7/31/16).’” “In a certain way?” Is Putin in Ukraine or is he not? It’s like being “half pregnant,” an impossibility. Jake Sullivan, Hillary’s chief policy adviser, pounced. He repeated what Hillary said at her Philadelphia convention, Donald lacks “temperamental fitness” for the presidency. Many GOP national security heavy hitters are backing Hillary because of Donald’s complete lack of foreign policy knowledge and poor temperament. These include Richard Armitage, deputy secretary of state and adviser to Reagan and H.W. Bush, and Brent Scowcroft, chairman of the President’s Intelligence Advisory Board and adviser to three former GOP presidents. Robert Kagan, former Reagan State Department aide and adviser to the McCain and Romney presidential campaigns, and Max Boot, senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and another GOP presidential candidate adviser, are also “with her (Blake, Washington Post, 7/31/16).”

In view of “the Donald’s” scary stands and lack of knowledge about domestic and foreign affairs, I have penned a musical ditty. It is based on the tune, “What a Wonderful World,” written by Sam Cooke, along with Lou Adler and Herb Alpert. This song was released in 1960 as a single record. Enjoy.

What A Scary Trump World This Would Be (Sung to the Tune of Cooke, Adler, and Alpert’s “What a Wonderful World”)

Don’t Know Much About The World That’s True

But The Globe Is YUUGE With Oceans Blue

Don’t Know Much About John McCain

As A POW He Must Have Been Insane

But When The Tea Party Zealots Call

I Am There To Build A Wall

If In November You Elect Me

What A Scary Trump World This Would Be

Don’t Know Much About Ukraine

Maybe It Is Next To Spain

When Friend Putin Calls Me From Afar

I Tell Him He Should Be The Next Czar

But Please Believe Me

If In November You Elect Me

What A Scary Trump World This Would Be

Muslims, Mexicans, Women I Won’t Take

I Say “No” To Making Gay Wedding Cakes

Education, Just Look And See

Get Your Trump University Degree

If In November You Elect Me

What A Scary Trump World This Would Be

Sure, singing along, laughing at “the Donald” is fun. However, it is NOT enough. Remember, as President Obama powerfully stated, “Just don’t boo Donald. Vote!” Vote, vote, vote in droves to keep this scary Trump world out of the White House.

Too many Democrats just don't get it. They don't get that now is the time to join forces and fight the demagogic, shoot-from-the hip, not-qualified to be President Donald. Instead, too many members of the party that call themselves "reality based" don't get that turnout with unity is everything. Initially, the GOP resembled wildcats in a circus cage mauling each other. However, once "the Donald" became the nominee, 80% of the rank-and-file "Team Red" members are doing what they always do-- falling in line to support this ignorant loose cannon because he has an "R" after his name. Too many Democrats are going in the opposite direction. These Dems. don't get mathematics and do not understand that Hillary, a strong progressive, has a numerical lock on the nomination. Although about 72% of Sen. Sanders followers will vote for Hillary in 11/2016, (NYTimes/CBS News Poll 5/13-5/17/16) a "Bernie or Bust" gang are doing everything they can to destroy her. Sen. Sanders himself refused to really crack down on his violent "Berners" at the 5/13/2016 weekend Nevada state convention. Instead, he spoke about going after the "unfair" Democratic "establishment," 1960's radical talk, infuriating many Democrats (See CNN, Raju, 5/17/16). IMHO, Sanders followers take their cues from the very top. Sanders himself indicates that he is willing to "hurt" Hillary in any way he can to seize the nomination. He hopes to capitalize on any late Clinton stumbles or any damage to her candidacy whether by scandals or by Trump himself. Sanders "claims" he does not want Donald to win in 11/2016. However, his advisers and allies say he is willing to do "some harm" to Mrs. Clinton "in the shorter term" if it means he can capture a majority of the 475 pledged delegates at stake in the 6/07/2016 Calif. primary. Tad Devine, a senior adviser to Sanders, stated the campaign did not think his attacks would help Trump "in the long run." He added Sanders' team was "not thinking about" the possibility that they could help derail Hillary from becoming president. Jeff Weaver, another top Sanders aide, is not at all interested in Democratic unity (NY Times, Healy, Alcindor, & Peters, 5/18/16).

On what planet does "Team Sanders" live? Do they recall history? The violent actions in Nevada and at other rallies can easily translate into similar demonstrations at the 7/25-7/28/2016 Philadelphia Democratic convention. Remember the Chicago, 1968 convention riots by Democratic protestors? They cost Dem. Hubert Humphrey the election, gave us Nixon, and nearly a quarter-century of GOP presidential rule. The Sanders team wants to repeal the horrible 5-4 Citizens United Supreme Court opinion that allowed nearly unlimited campaign spending by Koch Brothers and Friends. Hillary and every Democrat also want to have that decision overruled. The best way to do that? Elect a Democratic president who will have the ability to fill Scalia's and probably several other Justices' seats. A progressive High Court would overturn that decision. Sanders' supporters, along with the rest of us, must get what every GOPer does. In Campaign 2016, it's the Supreme Court, stupid!

On 5/18/2016, "the Donald" gave the country a list of 11 judges he would consider nominating to fill Scalia's seat. He called these justices "representative of the kind of constitutional principles I value." Trump previously said that in selecting these judges he would seek guidance from conservative groups such as the Federalist Society, an outfit Scalia helped establish, and the Heritage Foundation. Both of these organizations have been funded by Koch money (Mayer, "Dark Money," "Scalia, A Court Of One," Murphy, SourceWatch). American University Law Professor Steve Vladeck called Donald's list "red meat to conservatives." He said the people on the list could "reasonably be expected to follow in Scalia's footsteps." Heritage Foundation John Malcolm labeled Trump's selections "excellent." Sen. Judiciary Chair Chuck Grassley (R-Ia.) called Trump's judicial list "impressive." Grassley is currently blocking any hearings on Pres. Obama's super-qualified nominee Judge Merrick Garland. Grassley and his fellow GOPers are waiting for Trump to win in 11/2016 and replace Scalia with another right-winger (CNN, Diamond, 5/18/16). Garland, according to a measure of judicial ideology developed by four political scientists, is close to liberal Justice Elena Kagan. Before Kagan joined the High Court, she was Obama's Solicitor General who unsuccessfully argued against overturning campaign spending reforms in the "Citizens United" case (Toobin, "The Oath"). Let's look at Judge William Pryor, Jr., the most outspoken conservative on Demagogue Donald's list (Savage, D. LA Times, 5/18/16). Right after Scalia's death, Donald first mentioned Pryor's name as a replacement (CNN Diamond, 5/18/16).

William Holcombe Pryor Jr. (54) presently sits as a Federal Judge on the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit. The 11th Circuit hears appeals from several Federal District Courts in the states of Alabama, Florida, and Georgia. Mobile, Ala. native Pryor attended a Catholic high school and received his undergraduate degree in 1984 from Northeast Louisiana University. He received a 1987 law degree from Tulane University. He was editor-in-chief of Tulane's Law Review. Pryor was a charter member of the Tulane Federalist Society. From 1987-1988, Pryor served as a law clerk on the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. From 1988-1995, Pryor had a private litigation practice in Birmingham, Ala. He also served as an adjunct law professor of admiralty law at Samford University's Cumberland Law School from 1989-1995. Pryor currently teaches federal jurisdiction at the Univ. of Ala. Law School and statutory interpretation at Cumberland Law (Federalist Society bio., Univ. of Ala., "Faculty Page," Cumberland School of Law, "Adjunct Faculty Page").

From 1995-1997, Pryor served as Ala.'s deputy attorney general. He was appointed Ala.'s Attorney General in 1997. He was elected Atty. General in 1998 and re-elected in 2002 with nearly 59% of the vote (Federalist Society bio.). As Attorney General, Pryor rejected reopening the case of Anthony Ray Hinton after his defense lawyers presented new evidence in his favor. Hinton spent nearly 30 years on Death Row before the U.S. Supreme Court vacated his conviction. News organizations and racial justice groups strongly criticized Pryor's stance (Liptak, NY Times, 2/24/03, brownwatch.squarespace.com, 4/05/15, "Birmingham News," Whitmire, 4/03/15). Pryor has always been anti-choice. As Ala. Atty. General, Pryor denounced the Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade decision. He stated this 1973 ruling "manufactured a constitutional right to murder an unborn child." He called Roe, "the worst abomination in the history of constitutional law (NY Times, Rappeport & Savage, C., 5/18/18, People For The American Way, pfaw.org, LA Times, Savage, D., 5/18/16)." Pryor is a protege of Ala. GOP Sen. Jeff Sessions. Sessions was denied a federal judgeship under Reagan because of his poor civil rights record. Sessions said he "thought the Ku Klux Klan was all right until he learned members smoked marijuana (LA Times, Savage D., "Media Matters," Schulman & Allison, 7/14/09)." It's the Supreme Court, stupid.

On 4/09/2003, W nominated Republican Pryor to fill an 11th Circuit vacancy. Democrats blocked his confirmation because of his abortion views and because he had referred to the Supreme Court Justices as "nine octogenarian lawyers" when they delayed a 2000 Ala. execution ("Right Wing Justice," Schwartz, H., gpo.gov/fdsys). When Democrats filibustered Pryor, W put Pryor on the 11th Circuit bench on 2/20/2004 as a recess appointment. W's action bypassed the Senate. Pryor's recess term would have lasted until the end of 2006, had he not eventually been confirmed. In a "compromise deal" made by Sen. GOPers and Democrats, Pryor, along with two other W nominees, was confirmed to the bench by a 53-45 vote and sworn in on 6/20/2005 (Colvin, J., AP ).

Pryor was the only Attorney General to argue for striking down the Violence Against Women Act. Pryor called the electric chair a "humane'' method of execution, and stated that innocent people were not executed in Alabama. In one case, a prisoner was twice handcuffed to an outdoor hitching post with his arms raised above his shoulders for many hours. He was later forced to remove his shirt and stand in the hot sun all day. Pryor argued these actions were not unconstitutional. The Supreme Court called such unconstitutionality "so obvious," that it should have been clear even to a non-lawyer (Schwartz, Hope v. Pelzer, 536 U.S. 730 [2002]). Pryor attacked the Fla. Supreme Court for its opinion allowing a recount in the Bush v. Gore case. Pryor was delighted with the Supreme Court's 5-4 reversal of the Fla. Supreme Court, giving W the Presidency. Pryor wanted W to have a "full appreciation of the judiciary and judicial selections so we can have 'no more appointments like Justice Souter (H.W.'s moderate pro-choice nominee who dissented in the Bush v. Gore opinion).'" Pryor argued against federal enforcement of civil rights laws, worker protection, and environmental regulation. He supported tobacco and gun industries against lawsuits by sate attorneys general. Pryor testified in Congress against the Voting Rights Act. The Supreme Court, in the 5-4 reactionary Shelby v. Holder decision, agreed with Pryor when it gutted a key portion of that law. Scalia was part of that Roberts' Court majority. The NY Times concluded Pryor had turned his Atty. General's office into a "taxpayer -financed right-wing law firm (Schwartz, "Right Wing Justice")." One reporter called Pryor, "a B-52 candidate, if you will-- who has spent his career flying high, carpet bombing the landscape with conservative views on federalism, abortion, church state separation and a host of crime and punishment issues (pfaw.org/press-releases /2003)."

Demagogue Donald has said it all. "B-52" Pryor is his ideal Supreme Court Justice. Sen. Sanders' clique of purist supporters must stop uttering "I win or stay home in November" talk now. They must end their harassment and violence against fellow Democrats. Violence and threats are for Tea Partiers and Demagogue Donald, not "Team Blue." Again, Sanders can not win the nomination. We must all unite ASAP behind Hillary. The numbers and the demographics favor the Democrats, but only if we vote in droves. The polls are presently too close in Hillary's race against Demagogue Donald. Again, again, and again, in Campaign 2016, it's the Supreme Court, stupid. "Team Blue" needs to keep the Oval Office and take back the Senate to make sure Obama's legacy is upheld by the High Court.

Pat McCrory-- He's Out to Win the NRGT (The National Republican Governor's Tournament) for Worst Chief Executive April 3, 2016

Once again, we're caught up in Men's Basketball March Madness. Once again, the University of North Carolina's Tar Heels are in the Final Four's championship game. They are favored by many to win it all, getting to cut down the tournament's nets. Tar Heel State, North Carolina is currently competing in another national "championship"/ tournament. In this "contest," North Carolina has a very strong entry, Pat McCrory. He's out to win the NRGT (The National Republican Governor's Tournament) for worst state chief executive, even defeating Wisconsin's Scott Walker, New Jersey's Chris Christie and other "Red" zanies. McCrory is doing his best to cut down his people's economic and social safety nets. Georgia's GOP Governor Nathan Deal eliminated himself from snagging this "honor." On 3/28/2016, Deal announced he planned to veto Ga. House Bill 757, passed by his "Red"-dominated legislative chambers. House Bill 757, dubbed the Free Exercise Protection Act, would have, according to its sponsors, protected "religious freedom." This bill actually would have given Ga. faith-based legislative groups more leeway to deny services to gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people. Amid pressure from multi-national corporations, Deal stated, "I do not think we have to discriminate against anyone to protect the faith-based community in Georgia, of which I and my family have been a part for all of our lives." Deal added that with his veto, he was not just providing a business-friendly climate for job growth in Georgia. He said, "I believe that it is about the character of our state and the character of our people. Georgia is a welcoming state...Our people work side by side without regard to the color of our skin, or the religion we adhere to (LA Times, Jarvie, 3/28/16)."

Contrast Gov. Deal with North Carolina's McCrory. On 3/23/2016, the GOP-controlled N. Carolina House and Senate convened a special session. A complicated bill was introduced and quickly passed by both these chambers. It was then signed by Gov. McCrory in less than a day. This bill, HB2, made N. Carolina the state with the most hostile laws against LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) people in the country ("Think Progress," Ford, Z., 3/24/16, Denver Post, Swain, K., 6/21/07). This rushed special session avoided all attempts to resist this bill. This bill's language was made public mere minutes before being considered. The committee first charged with voting on it had to request 5 minutes to read it. Only a total of 30 minutes of public comment was allowed, preventing the opportunity for reasonable public input. Although companies like Dow Chemical and Biogen tweeted their opposition during the day, it was too late. In Georgia, when the GOP legislature passed a similar bill, Gov. Deal had until 5/03/2016 to consider whether to sign it. There was plenty of time for corporations and the public to weigh in ("Think Progress," Ford, 3/24/16).

Gov. Deal correctly realized the effects of major entertainment, sports groups, and other corporations boycotting his state if he signed Ga.'s anti-LGBT bill. Tar Heel Gov. McCrory, however, gleefully signed HB2 and doubled down defending it (Ford, "Think Progress," 3/24/16). HB2 was an attempt by the N. Carolina GOP legislature and GOP Gov. McCrory to override Charlotte, N. Carolina's recently passed non-discriminatory law against members of the LGBT community. Polling showed there was bipartisan opposition throughout N. Carolina to overturning Charlotte's ordinance ("Think Progress, 3/24/16). Besides overriding Charlotte's anti-discriminatory law, HB2 makes it illegal for ANY N. Carolina municipality to extend non-discrimination protections beyond what the state provides, thus, banning and voiding all N. Carolina LGBT, sexual orientation, and gender identity protections. Buncombe, Orange, and Mecklenburg Counties and the cities of Bessemer, Durham, and Winston Salem also had such protections. The 17 campuses of the Univ. of N. Carolina system will be unable to enforce their LGBT anti-discrimination policy, impacting at least 13,000 + faculty, 30,000 + staff, and 250,000 students (Ford, "Think Progress," 3/29/16).

Gov. McCrory's comment that "no rights have been taken away" is, to quote VP Joe Biden, "malarkey." McCrory's argument that HB2 has no impact on private business constitutes "malarkey plus." American Airlines, Charlotte-headquartered Bank of America, and the NBA (National Basketball Association) expressed concern over dealing with a state having such a law. IBM, Google, Apple, Amazon, and Facebook criticized N. Carolina. Raleigh's High Point Market, the largest furnishings industry trade show in the world, stated that "dozens of customers have contacted the High Point Market Authority to inform us that they have cancelled plans to attend the Market in April due to passage of HB2." The High Point Market noted its April economic event is "the largest economic event in the State of North Carolina each year. The Market has an annual economic impact of $5.38 billion and generates 600,000 visitor days to the state each year. The Market and the home furnishings industry in North Carolina are responsible for over 37,000 jobs in our great state ("Think Progress," 3/29/16)." The Obama administration is considering whether to cut off billions of dollars in federal aid for schools, highways, and housing, and called the law "meanspirited." Gov. McCrory called opposition to HB2 and transgender rights, "political correctness gone amok that overtakes common sense," ridiculous drivel straight out of Demagogue Donald's playbook (See Ford, "Think Progress," 3/29/16, NY Times, Apuzzo & Binder, 4/01/16).

A lawsuit has been filed by two transgender men, the North Carolina ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union), and Equality North Carolina, asking a federal judge to declare HB 2 unconstitutional (CNN, Ellis, 3/28/16). North Carolina Democratic Attorney General Roy Cooper is refusing to defend this law. Cooper called it "discrimination." IMHO, U.S. Supreme Court cases and federal civil rights statutes make HB 2's constitutionality doubtful. Atty. Gen. Cooper stated that "not only is the law a national embarrassment, it will set North Carolina's economy back." NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo banned non-essential travel to N. Carolina (AP, 3/29/16). Cooper is running for governor against McCrory in 2016. Meet Gov. McCrory.

First-term GOP N. Carolina Governor Patrick Lloyd "Pat" McCrory (59) was a Columbus, Ohio native. At age 9, McCrory's family moved to Jamestown, N. Carolina. At Catawba College, McCrory, a conservative, was elected student body president. After his 1978 graduation, he went to work for the Duke Energy power company and stayed there from 1978-2009. He became a senior adviser with Duke's business and economic development group (Barone 14 Political Almanac).

McCrory entered politics in 1989, when he won an at-large seat on Charlotte's City Council. After six years, McCrory successfully ran for mayor. He was a very popular mayor from 1995-2009. His popularity was fueled by Charlotte's economic development boom. McCrory helped develop that city's 25-year land use plan and a light rail system. McCrory successfully worked to bring NASCAR's new Hall of Fame to Charlotte (Barone 14).

Shortly after winning his seventh mayoral re-election, McCrory jumped into the 2008 governor's race. McCrory called for a state 50-year transportation plan. He attacked then Dem. Lt. Gov. Bev Perdue for opposing offshore oil drilling. Perdue supported increasing the number of college scholarships for N. Carolina students. McCrory emphasized vocational training, arguing that four-year college programs did not interest all high school graduates. McCrory supported government vouchers for private school tuition. Perdue won 50%-47%. She benefited from a strong voter registration drive and turnout efforts for the Obama campaign that won North Carolina by .3% of a point (Barone14).

Facing a record $4.7 billion shortfall and 11% unemployment, Perdue called for tax increases to avoid deep public school cuts. Her approval rating fell by half in less than six months. Discount store magnate Art Pope, a friend and ally of the right wing Koch brothers, poured over $2 million into 27 state races and won 20 of them in Campaign 2010. In 2010, Tar Heel Democrats did not vote. The Koch-Pope GOP flipped both N. Carolina legislative houses "Red," for the first time since 1870. In 2012, Perdue decided not to run. McCrory ran again, this time, against Dem. Lt. Gov. Walter Dalton. McCrory played up his connections to the business community. He kept a low profile on the hot-button issues of same-sex marriage and abortion. He supported off shore energy drilling and the controversial natural gas extraction known as "fracking," which Dalton questioned. Democrats ran an ad attacking McCrory's refusal to say how much Duke Energy had paid him. They hit him for testifying before Congress against proposed air quality standards (Barone 14). In Campaign 2012, Romney won N. Carolina by 2% when fewer Democrats showed up. McCrory clobbered Dalton by 12 percentage points and was the only GOPer to capture a Democratic governorship that year. Seventy percent of the $14.5 million spent by outside groups on this race came went to the GOP (Barone 14, Brock, "Killing the Messenger"). In the span of four years, the GOP, with Koch/Pope spending, had seized full control of the N. Carolina government for the first time in more than a century (Brock).

As governor, McCrory tows a reactionary line, enacting the Koch/Pope agenda. McCrory installed Pope as his budget director. McCrory and his "Red" legislature went on a right-wing rampage, passing more than 300 bills their first year. A GOP operative called the McCrory/N. Carolina legislature team "the national Republican agenda on steroids (Brock, "Killing the Messenger")." When asked in a pre-election debate what further abortion restrictions he would sign into law, McCrory said, "None." In office, McCrory adopted some of the most severe anti-abortion measures in the nation (Huffington Post, 7/12/13, "Killing the Messenger"). He signed legislation requiring voters to present government-issued photo identification in order to vote, repealing same-day voter registration, and reducing the number of early voting days, an attempt to decrease mainly Democratic voters, including racial minorities (See Wash. Post, Fletcher, 5/26/13). The McCrory/GOP legislature cut unemployment benefits by about 1/3 and reduced the time people were eligible to receive them. The McCrory/GOP legislature reduced the number of openings available for children in state-run pre-kindergarten programs, froze teacher pay, and cut college aid. The McCrory/GOP legislature opted out of the Medicaid expansion allowed under Obamacare, denying healthcare coverage to 500,000 N. Carolinians (WRAL.com). McCrory signed a bill to allow "fracking" and criminalizes the disclosure of chemicals used during this process ("Law 360," Barone 14, "Killing the Messenger"). We should not be surprised that McCrory and his GOP legislature overturned LGBT legislative protections.

McCrory's popularity has tumbled. Different polling outfits give narrow leads to both candidates (RealClear Politics: Survey USA, R- McCrory +3, Elon University D- Cooper +2, 2/22/14). During that same time period, Public Policy Polling (PPP) put Cooper up by +3 (Kos, 2/22/16, NCJim). These polls were taken before McCrory signed the anti-LGBT law. FYI, that law also prevents cities from requiring local businesses to raise wages beyond the state's minimum, now pegged at $7.25 per hour (Robertson & Drew, AP, 3/29/16). Millions will be spent by Koch and Company defending this anti-LGBT law and for re-electing reactionary McCrory and his legislative friends. Democrats must spend in kind to level the playing field. Democrats in swing state N. Carolina must come out in droves to elect Hillary, throw out their unpopular GOP legislature, and elect Dem. Atty. General Cooper as their next governor. The anti-LGBT must also be repealed, if not by the courts, by the next governor and legislature. N. Carolina is a far more tolerant state than Gov. McCrory and his legislative cronies believe.

Poor Supreme Court Justice Antonin “Nino” Scalia. Opera buff Scalia should now sing tragic arias in the SCOTUS’ (Supreme Court of the United States’) marble chamber. The end of the High Court’s 2014-2015 term has dealt several blows to his mantra that the Constitution must be interpreted according to its “plain” literal meaning, “supposedly” the way its 1787 framers would (unless, as in Bush v. Gore and other cases, this interpretation interferes with Scalia’s GOP “principles”{See, Dershowitz, “Supreme Injustice”}). In its 6/25/2015 King v. Burwell decision, the High Court, with conservatives Chief Justice John Roberts and this time Justice Anthony Kennedy, joined the four liberals in voting to keep Obamacare viable. In King v. Burwell, the 6-3 majority, authored by Chief Justice Roberts, agreed that “Congress passed the Affordable Care Act to improve health insurance markets, not destroy them.” The majority correctly stated that while the few words buried deeply in this 900 page law about giving subsidies only to “exchanges established by the State,” (not federal ones), may seem plain “when viewed in isolation,” such a reading turns out to be “untenable in light of (the statute) as a whole.” Had SCOTUS ruled for the conservative challengers, millions of Americans would have lost their ability to buy health insurance and the law would, as Roberts noted, have gone into a “death spiral (Opinion of the Court, NY Times Editorial, 6/25/15).” Scalia’s dissent? Scalia, the master of Court sarcasm and vivid phraseology (Liptak, NY Times, 1/19/15), did not disappoint. He called the health care law “SCOTUScare” and the majority’s interpretation “jiggery-pokery.” IMHO, Scalia is auditioning for Harry Potter sequels. He is reliving his high school drama days (See “Scalia, A Court Of One,” Murphy, B., CNN, de Vogue & Diamond, 6/25/15).

And on 6/26/2015, in a 5-4 opinion written by Justice Kennedy, SCOTUS legalized same-sex marriage throughout the nation. Scalia’s dissent? He called this decision a “judicial Putsch,” a reference to the Nazi Party’s failed 1920’s original coup against the then WeimarRepublic. Scalia attacked Kennedy’s opinion as “pretentious, egotistic, and incoherent,” not aiding Court collegiality. Incoherent Scalia babbled that even the nearest “hippie” would find the majority’s “freedom of intimacy ‘abridged’ rather than expanded by marriage.” Scalia declared he would “hide his head in a bag” rather than join in this “fortune cookie reasoning.” Wow!

On 6/29/2015, the last day of SCOTUS’ term, Scalia landed on the short end of another 5-4 decision. He again argued for a literal Constitutional reading. In ArizonaState Legislature v. Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission, a decision written by Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and joined both by fellow liberals Breyer, Sotomayor, Kagan, and conservative Kennedy, the Court upheld Proposition 106. In 2000, Az. voters passed Proposition 106. This initiative created Arizona’s Independent Redistricting Commission in order to remove legislators’ bias from the congressional redistricting process. This Az. commission is composed of five members, two chosen by GOP lawmakers, two by Democratic lawmakers, and the fifth picked by the other four. Arizona GOP legislators complained the commission’s latest efforts favored Democrats. The GOP-led Ariz. legislature sued, claiming the voters could not strip elected lawmakers of their power to draw district lines (Liptak, NY Times, 6/29/15, Reiss, LA Times, 6/29/15). Following the 2010 census, the redistricting commission redrew Arizona’s congressional districts without preference to political partisanship. The Az. Republican Party was left with fewer safe congressional districts. Az. GOPers claimed this voter reform was unconstitutional. Az. GOPers argued about the meaning of a section of the Constitution’s Article One, the clause governing rules concerning Congressional elections. Article I, Section 4 states:

“The Times, Places and Manner of holding Elections for Senators and Representatives, shall be prescribed in each State by the ‘Legislature’ thereof; but the Congress may at any time by Law make or alter such Regulations, except as to the Places of chusing Senators.”

Az. GOPers contended that under the Constitution’s Article 1 Section 4, the people, using a ballot initiative, don’t count as “legislators.” According to Az. Republicans, the Constitution intended only for the “elected Legislature” to set rules (See Reiss, LA Times). A federal three-judge panel majority ruled for the commission. It stated the Constitution’s election clause (Art. I, Sec. 4) “does not prohibit a state from vesting the power to conduct redistricting elsewhere within its legislative powers (NY Times, Liptak, 3/02/15).”At the 3/02/2015 Supreme Court oral arguments, Justice Kennedy seemed to be joining Justice Scalia in going against the independent Az. Commission. Commentators felt the Az. GOP would win. Kennedy stated he believed a constitutional amendment was needed to put redistricting in a commission’s hands, not a voter referendum. Justice Scalia led the charge against the independent commission. He argued that every other use of the word “legislature” in the Constitution referred to a “representative body rather than state voters.” The commission’s attorney argued that old dictionaries, including Noah Webster’s and Samuel Johnson’s, supported his viewpoint. Scalia, normally a fan of using old dictionaries to interpret the plain meaning of laws, dismissed this argument (NY Times, Liptak, See Murphy, “Scalia A Court Of One”).”

In a surprise turn, Kennedy joined Justice Ginsburg. Ginsburg aptly wrote, “The Framers may not have imagined the modern initiative process in which the people’s legislative power is coextensive with the state legislature’s authority, but the invention of the initiative was in full harmony with the Constitution’s conception of the people as the font of governmental power (Opinion, Reiss, LA Times).” What caused Kennedy’s change? Perhaps, it was Scalia’s acidic hostility to Kennedy’s views legalizing same-sex marriage in the Obergefell v. Hodges case. Kennedy often stands strongly for stare decisis. Stare decisis is a legal doctrine stating that long held or deeply engrained case law should generally stand. We saw Kennedy’s use of stare decisis in his upholding Roe v. Wade in the 1992 Casey decision. Although Kennedy voted in 2012 against the constitutionality of the health care law, he voted to keep this law intact in the 6/25/2015 King v. Burwell case. In the Casey abortion case, had he overturned Roe, millions of women would have lost the right to choose. Similarly, overturning federal health care subsidies would have denied millions of Americans health care insurance, now a successful working law of the land. Chaos would have resulted.

Had Kennedy ruled against the Az. independent commission, he would have adopted what election law expert Richard Hasen called “a mindless literal reading” of a constitutional provision, Scalia’s constricted judicial view. Independent election commissions in Arizona, California, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Hawaii, and New Jersey could have been affected (LA Times, Savage, D., 6/29/15). Twenty-three states now allow voter passage of initiatives. The initiative, part of the early 20th-Century Progressives reform movement for direct democracy, was aimed at bypassing state legislatures bought by special interests. The general power of the initiative could also have been endangered by the cramped-Scalia/Az. GOP Constitutional interpretation (See Reiss, LA Times). Scalia’s dissent? He called the interpretation of “legislature” “outrageously wrong, so utterly devoid of textual or historic support (NY Times, Liptak, 6/29/15).” Dissenting Chief Justice Roberts accused the majority of performing a “magic trick” by interpreting the Constitution “to allow the people, not the Legislature, to set the rules for electing members of Congress (Savage, LA Times, 6/29/15).” Roberts’ “magic trick” joins Scalia’s “jiggery-pokery” in the SCOTUS Circus Circus/Harry Potter show.

The Az. redistricting case did not get the attention of the health care and gay marriage opinions. However, to use VP Joe Biden’s phrase, it is a “big F-ing deal.” Despite what many may think, redistricting is not some inside baseball game played for amusement by state legislative policy wonks. The GOP has long understood the vital importance of drawing as many state and federal districts as possible containing overwhelming numbers of Republican voters. As early as the 1970’s, GOP ideologue Newt Gingrich and his strategists realized, according to “The Nation,” that state legislative elections were “a massive chess game.” Should the GOP prevail, it could lock in the ability to shape an unbeatable House majority. In Gingrich’s words, “Redistricting is everything.” The Constitution’s Article I, Section 2 requires a national census to take place every ten years to be used to determine the number of House seats in each state. After the GOP 2010 midterm tsunami, which gave the majority of state legislatures to the GOP, many vulnerable House GOPers elected in 2010 were shored up by gerrymandering, or the partisan manipulation of district boundaries. In 2012, Democrats had high turn out. They re-elected Obama and increased their then Senate majority. Democrats also took 50.5 % of all major party votes cast for the House, 1.4 million more votes than the Republicans. However, because of GOP state legislative gerrymandering, Democrats won just 46.2 % of all House seats and failed to retake that chamber. In poor “Blue” turn-out 2014, Democrats won 47.1% of all major House party votes and took just 43.2% of all seats. Democrats then fell further behind in trying to recapture the House (In 2016, Democrats need to flip a net 30 seats to retake the House. The non-partisan Cook Report presently sees them taking no more than 15.).With GOP- gerrymandered maps, Democrats, therefore, consistently receive about 4% fewer seats (Wash. Post, Cillizza, 6/29/15, Harwood, NY Times, 7/05/15). In Ohio, Fla., and Michigan, for starters, GOPers have lopsided House delegations.

Justice Ginsburg’s opinion boldly called Prop.106,“an endeavor by Arizona voters to address the problem of partisan gerrymandering –the drawing of legislative district lines to subordinate adherents of one political party and entrench a rival party in power (Liptak, NY Times, 6/29/2015).” This SCOTUS decision has given Democrats and good government advocates a powerful weapon for long-term reform that will help break up partisan gridlock. Democrats and government reformers must now get initiatives on the ballot in states which allow that process to create Arizona and Calif. type non-partisan commissions. Such commissions will draw fair maps truly representing state populations. Democrats must target not only Michigan, Ohio, and Fla., states Obama twice won, but also “Red” Arkansas, Missouri, Nebraska, and even Utah. By having fair maps in these states alone, Democrats stand to gain anywhere from 9-17 seats after the 2020 census (See interactive maps under Wolf, Kos Elections, 6/29/15). Non-partisan redistricting measures are very popular. Population trends generally favor “Team Blue.” Former gubernatorial candidate and Michigan Congressman /state legislator Mark Schauer will head the effort over the next three election cycles to put more Democrats in control of the redistricting process in many states (Detroit Free Press, Gray, K. 2/19/15). Former Calif. Democratic Congresswoman Ellen Tauscher will try to get Democrats, Republicans, and good-government endorsements for non-partisan redistricting. She plans to help raise the millions of dollars needed for such action (Decker, C., LA Times, 7/05/15). We must strongly support Schauer and Tauscher.